Board of Trustees
James H. Davis, III
Regulatory Attorney
Parent Trustee & Chairman
James H. Davis III and his family moved to South Orange in 2008. He has been married to his wife Shanease for 17 years and they have four children ages 15, 13, and two that are 11-years old. James is a regulatory attorney for American Express in New York. He and his family are members of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey. James graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society and in 1994 with a J.D. from the University of Arizona.
James is also an active member of the South Orange community. Over the years, he has coached soccer teams for all of his four children or provided assistance to coaches when needed. The Davis’ are also member of the South Orange pool and enjoy attending music in the park at Flood’s Hill during the summer. James has also worked with the Achieve Foundation’s music division by volunteering to assist in helping the organization raise money for the district’s music programs and students. James’ passion for music and the arts run deep as he and his children play multiple instruments including, piano, violin, guitar, trombone, baritone and tuba. In whatever spare time he can find, James also likes to play golf.
Walter A.H.L. Fields, Jr.
Founder & Advisor
Walter Fields is the founder of the Black Parents Workshop, Inc., a parents advocacy organization based in South Orange-Maplewood, NJ that championed a landmark federal lawsuit on behalf of students in the local school district. Upon his relocation to Maryland, he has assumed the role of Co-Chairperson of Strong Schools Maryland, a statewide education equity advocacy organization. Walter was appointed to the Prince George’s County Board of Education by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and served as the Chair of the Policy & Governance Committee. He is also on the staff of the newly conceived National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities (NCEED) in the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University, designing the center's parent and family engagement initiative.
His background includes work as an award-winning journalist and experience in every medium of journalism – daily press, magazines, radio, television, and Internet news. He was hired by NBC News as an original political contributor on the MSNBC Cable News Channel and for MSNBC.com. Walter Fields has also been a strong advocate for diversity in media and accountability in reporting.
Walter Fields holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morgan State University, a Master of Public Administration degree with a specialization in public policy analyses and a professional certificate in not-for-profit management from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, where he was a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the City University of New York Graduate Center as an inaugural National Science Foundation Fellow. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU and was the recipient of the Dean’s Award from the Wagner School. Walter is currently a doctoral student in the Applied Sociology and Social Justice PhD program at Morgan State University. He is a proud member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., one of the 'Divine 9' National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations, serves as the fraternity's National Director of Communications, and Chairman of Brown & Gold PAC. Walter also served as a Trustee of the historic Pennsylvania Avenue AME Zion Church in Baltimore, Maryland and on the Board of its Zion Development Corporation.
Walter is married to Donna Wharton-Fields, an alumna of Williams College and MIT, and they have a daughter, Jordan Marie Fields, a student-athlete alumna of the University of Pittsburgh who is now a student in the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.
Jordan M. Fields
CHS ‘16
Alumni Trustee
Jordan Fields is a native of Maplewood and attended the township’s public schools, graduating from Columbia High School in 2016. She was a two-sport athlete in high school, earning varsity letters throughout her four years as the starting point guard on the girls’ basketball team and member of the nationally recognized girls’ track team. Jordan finished her career in basketball tying the school’s 3-points record. In track, she was one of the top horizontal jumpers in the nation, earning First Team All-State honors, in addition to All-Group and All-County designations, in the triple-jump. She was one of the founders of the Black Student Union at Columbia High School and the lead complainant in a landmark federal civil rights complaint filed by the ACLU and UCLA Civil Rights Project targeting discriminatory practices in the school district. Jordan is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, the 'Senior of the Year' for the Class of 2020 and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She will graduate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Carnegie Mellon Heinz Schools of Public Policy the fall of 2024 with a Juris Doctor and Master of Public Policy degrees.
Deborah Davis-Ford
Clerk, Essex County Board of Commissioners
Deborah David Ford has a rich history of public service. She is a former Trustee of the Village of South Orange and the Clerk of the Essex County Board of Commissioners. She has served as a member of the Regional Business Partnership, president of the Greater Newark Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council and on the Executive Board of North Jersey Jack & Jill. A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Deborah is married to her high school sweetheart Rocky and they have one daughter, Rachel.
Narda Chisholm Greene
Dr. Kalisha Morgan
Assistant Superintendent, Montclair Public Schools
Dr. Kalisha Morgan brings 25 years experience in elementary and secondary education to the Black Parents Workshop. Dr. Morgan was formerly principal of Columbia High School and served as the Director of Planning and Assessment for the South Orange-Maplewood School District. Currently the Assistant Superintendent for Equity, Curriculum and Instruction for the Montclair Public Schools, she also serves on the Board of Education for Union Township Public Schools and the Essex County Foundation Board. Dr. Morgan is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America. She is married to Gregory and they have two sons, Tyler and Marcus.
Tracey Jarmon-Woods
Parent Trustee
Tracey Jarmon-Woods was born in the state of Delaware and is the owner of the small business Modern Sky Art & Sound. As an artist, Jarmon – Woods hand designs and creates wall art reflective of social discourse which are featured in Art Galleries around New Jersey and are sold in local community fairs. Jarmon-Woods is the lead singer of the band called Trace that performs at numerous local venues. She also renders live performances at several facilities and hospitals for patients with dementia, the elderly and veterans with a diverse list of songs from the 30's to the 70's.
Jarmon-Woods is a military veteran who served as a Medic during Desert Storm. She attended Delaware State University and graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She has held managerial positions in both the medical field as well as with an internet company before becoming a successful realtor in New York. Jarmon-Woods resides with her husband and son in South Orange New Jersey is presently writing her first novel.
Rev. Keith Wright
At-Large Trustee
Pastor Keith D. Wright began his corporate career in 1972 at a time when African-Americans were relatively new to the corporate world. He has held a number of senior management positions and devotes his time helping individuals navigate the executive suite while reconciling their faith practices. He is the author of “Spiritual Oars for Dark Waters,” a practical guide that employs teachings in the Christian faith to support employees’ personal and professional growth.
A native of New Jersey, Wright has held several civic and community positions, including serving as Chair of the Economic Development Corporation, Chair of the YMCA Capital Campaign. Chair of the Mayor’s Community Development Corporation and the Parking Commission for the City of East Orange.
Pastor Wright holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the Newburgh Theological Seminary, a Master’s Degree in General Administration from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in History from Rutgers University. He has also attended Harvard University’s Program for Management Development.
Kesha Whitaker
MapSO Freedom School Liaison
(non-voting representative)
Shannel Roberts
MapSO Freedom School Liaison
(non-voting representative)
Robert Tarver, Esq.
Of Counsel